Hasta La Creative!

Zambezi launched a new spot for Autotrader that takes a slightly different approach for the category.

The site’s search windows popping up as people’s vehicle choices change with different events in their life is nothing new, but the vaguely Tinder-esque nature of its narrative and positioning of the brand as a sort of vehicular hookup site is.

The 60-second “Concert” is built around a somewhat hard to follow narrative surrounding a young guy and girl both unsatisfied with their current choice of vehicles (and in her case, also her boyfriend), who end up driving off together after randomly meeting (and not saying a word?) at a concert.

That story is sort of tied to the brand’s message in a blatant attempt to appeal to millennial audiences by likening its product to “auto tinder,” though people presumably want a car that will last longer than their Tinder hookup. The spot is also closely tied to its musical selection, Sjowgren’s “Seventeen.”

“We wanted to create a story with a strong music track at its core,” Zambezi executive creative director Josh DiMarcantonio explained to AdFreak. “We got to talking and realized we all had memorable and unexpected encounters at or on the way to music festivals. We liked the idea of randomly finding love at one of them and having the song become the soundtrack of their meeting.” 

“One of our ACDs, Ben George, came across ‘Seventeen’ by Sjowgren through a Spotify search,” he added. “At the time, the band still had full-time day jobs, less than 100,000 plays and a four-song EP. By the time the commercial was finished, ‘Seventeen’ was up to 7.7 million plays. The band is now transitioning to become full-time musicians and working on its first album.”

Credits:
Client: Autotrader
Agency: Zambezi
Founder + CEO: Chris Raih
Executive Creative Director: Josh DiMarcantonio
Associate Creative Director: Ben George
Associate Creative Director: Nick Rodgers
Sr. Art Director: Max Pollak
Sr. Copywriter: Brian Hallisey
Jr. Art Director: Sean Jackson
Managing Director: Pete Brown
Head of Content: Alex Cohn
Producer: Andrew Gage
Account Director: Matt Kline
Account Supervisor: Lauren Bondell
Account Executive: Tori Tessalone
Chief Strategy Officer: Kristina Jenkins
Group Strategy Director: Ryan Richards
Production Company: The Directors’ Bureau
Director: M Blash
Director of Photography: Jas Shelton
Production Designer: Noel McCarthy
Executive Producer: Elizabeth Minzes
Line Producer: Benjamin Gilovitz
Post Production: Blink Studios
Editor: Ling Ly
Assistant Editors: Sasha Perry & Paul Oh
Audio: Blink Studios
Audio Mixer/Designer: John Reese
Color: MPC
Executive Producer: Meghan Lang
Producer: Rebecca Boorsman
Colorist: Mark Gethin
VFX: Zoic Studios
Executive Producer: Ian Unterreiner
Producer: Alyssa Evans
Flame Artist: Adam Flynn
Song: “Seventeen”
Composed and Performed by Sjowgren

Back in March of 2014, creative agency Don’t Panic London launched “Most Shocking Second a Day” to promote Save the Children UK’s initiative supporting child refugees in Syria. That spot, which imagined a similar conflict in the U.K. would look like through the perspective of a London child caught in the middle of the conflict, received quite a bit of attention, racking up some 53 million views. Since then, of course, the Syrian refugee crisis has become a more prominent news story, particularly in Europe.

The agency’s new effort, “Still The Most Shocking Second a Day” continues the story of the girl from the original, Lily, with the same actress reprising the role. In the follow-up, directed by Stink’s Tom Green, Lily flees the U.K. as a refugee. The spot follows her story as she faces a series of struggles from having to part with her mother to narrowly avoiding drowning to facing harassment once she arrives in her new country, echoing the kind of hate and xenophobia such refugees have faced in Europe.

The issues faced by Lily in the spot were inspired by the real stories of Syrian child refugees helped by Save the Children. Like its predecessor, it’s a harrowing look at what life is like for child refugees, made all the more difficult by the knowledge that what appears onscreen is only a glimpse at the unimaginable difficulties they face.

“This video captures the terrible experiences of thousands of children every day, many undertaking horrific journeys that no one should ever have to endure,” Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children, told Adweek. “We wanted to bring home the reality of what it’s like for those children, to capture the public’s attention.”

“This is a generation of children who have lost everything—their home, their education, their family and in some cases their lives,” she added. “Save the Children is calling for more support for children fleeing these conflict zones. We want a new deal for refugees, to ensure every child gets an education, protection and a fair start in life.”

Chandelier Creative changes the formula a bit in its latest campaign for Old Navy.

Following a holiday campaign starring Portlandia duo Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen, the new effort features a larger ensemble than previous campaigns starring Julia Louis Dreyfus and Amy Poehler, an approach hinted at in November’s “Snoopin’ Around” spot. Silicon Valley’s Kumail Nanjiani, who appeared in that spot alongside Dreyfus and Snoop Dogg, is back, joined by current and former SNL cast members Cecily Strong, Jay Pharoah and Nasim Pedrad.

All four appear in the 60-second spot promoting the brand’s #NeverBasic tees, in which Nanjiani explains what he looks for in a t-shirt: “right sleeve, left sleeve, neck hole.” They play a variety of fairly stereotypical characters (think California surfer, burned-out hippie, etc.) who all appreciate a line of shirts for which “basic” is a fairly accurate description.

We appreciate the agency changing things up, though the spot above tries very hard to cram as much as possible into its 60 seconds. (We do also appreciate the t-shirt specifications we have in common with Nanjiani.)

There’s also a 30-second version of the ad and some 15-second improv spots, each exploring one of the characters.

CREDITS

Client: Old Navy
Agency: Chandelier Creative
Creative Director: Lena Kuffner
Creative Director: Richard Christiansen
Executive Producer: Sara Fisher
Account Director: Eileen Eastburn
Senior Account Manager: Olivia Kaufman
Producer: Gulshan Jaffery
Production Coordinator: Camilla Rothenberg
Production Company: Prettybird
Director: Matt Piedmont
Executive Producers: Ali Brown
Director of Photography: Giles Dunning
Editorial: Cut + Run
Editor: Jay Nelson
Executive Producer: Amburr Farls
Telecine: Color Collective
Colorist: Alex Bickel
Executive Producer: Claudia Guevara
Audio Post: Sonic Union
Mixer: Mike Marinelli
Finishing: MPC NY
Executive Producer: Camila De Biaggi
Finishing Producer: Matthew Loranger

Queen was a pretty good band and this is an EOD Friday post.

Heineken sponsors a lot of musical events around the world, in case you didn’t know. It’s kind of like Camel cigarettes in targeting the young folks that way, except it’s less cancerous and ethically questionable.

#LiveYourMusic is a new global campaign that involves some challenges for the beer because–as its global brand communication director Anuraag Trikha told Marketing Week–“people come to see the artist and not the brand.”

The first ad in that effort comes to us from Publicis Italy on the 40th(!) anniversary of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and the 24th anniversary of the movie that made it big again. The point of this spot is that everyone loves a good jam and some people get a little too into it.

Yeah, it was a bit long, but you kind of just have to go with it. Here’s an interesting quote from Trikha:

“Music is a very difficult beast for brands and it’s challenging for brands to create salience. … If you don’t put a brand lens on it at all, it becomes just another promotion.

We’ll be doing more experiential activity inside festivals. We are also looking at partnering with festival owners to produce musical experiences that touch all your senses and then use technology to enable that.”

Heineken and Publicis picked this particular song because it’s 40 years old and because “for all these years it’s been the song everyone wished they could sing.” And we like how nobody in the ad even bothered to try singing in key.

The campaign also includes new packaging, bottle designs and the requisite social media push, but the most interesting fact we learned about it is that the neighbors of Publicis’ team in Italy got a little tired of hearing them sing Queen in the shower every day for three months.

It’s still a little more inspired than the one where Doogie Howser tried to sound…Scottish??

Company Name: Publicis Italy
Client: Heineken
Title: The Chorus
Production Company: Partizan Midi Minuit
Media Agency: Starcom
Pr Agency: Edelman

Creative Directors: Bruno Bertelli, Cristiana Boccassini, Marco Venturelli, Luca Cinquepalmi
Associate Creative Directors: Polina Zabrodskaya, Michele Picci
Art Director: Simone Di Laus
Strategic Planners: James Moore, Moritz Goede
International Group Account Director: Lorenza Montorfano
International Account Supervisor: Jana Uhlarikova
International Account Executive: Dalila Salhi
Agency Executive Producer: Silvia Cattaneo
Senior Director Global Heineken Brand: Gianluca di Tondo
Global Heineken Brand Director Communication & Digital: Anuraag Trikha
Heineken Brand Communication Manager Global Marketing: Agnieszka Gorecki
Director: Antoine Bardout-Jaquet
Executive Producer: Robin Accard
Line Producer: Khalid Tahhar
Editor: Bill Smedley
DOP Glynn Speeckaert
MUSIC Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Clemenger BBDO launched a new campaign for pet food brand Pedigree entitled “Hearts Aligned” which aims to show the connection between dogs and their owners.

The agency conducted an “experiment” monitoring the heart rate of people and their dogs. While it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that pets helped lower heart rates, the more striking thing about the demonstration is how closely aligned the heart rates of dog and human became when they spent time together.

Obviously the small study’s sample size doesn’t prove anything conclusively, but it does speak to the value of pet ownership and the special bond dog owners have with their best friends.

The spot also gives a glimpse into other aspects of these people’s connections with their dogs, as each of the pets have helped their owners significantly in very personal ways. A man named Glenn says his dog “pretty much means everything to him” and helped him through a rough period of depression and anxiety following an injury at work. Alice, meanwhile, who is deaf, appreciates her service dog for cluing her in to her surroundings, as well as the companionship, and a young girl explains how her dog Jake helped her get over the death of her previous dog.

The campaign launched in Australia last month, but the brand is promoting in the states this week for National Pet Week. To promote sharing of the video on social media, Pedigree is donating a dollar to PetRescue for each time the video is share on Facebook with the “#HeartsAligned” hashtag.

While far from the first time a brand such as Pedigree has explored the myriad ways in which pets benefit people, dog lovers can’t get enough of this kind of thing and we’re sure more than a few aligned hearts will be melted by the online ad.

Wongdoody launched its first campaign for employee-owned food company Litehouse since recently winning AOR duties for the brand.

The integrated campaign, “See the Lite,” is built around a 30-second broadcast spot promoting the brand’s line of salad dressings. In the spot, a mother reaches into a pantry to grab a selection of salad dressings as her family sits down to dinner. “Are you going to do the ranch or do you want the green one?” she asks her son, as her daughter squeezes a bottle and releases a gross, gooey pink slime. The ranch doesn’t look much better, as some metallic looking blocks fall out of the bottle and “the green one” releases a noxious looking cloud of dust. “There’s a lot of salad dressing that’s full of…not dressing,” the voiceover says as the family chows down on the less-than-appetizing selections.

This is contrasted with Litehouse, which, unlike those other brands, is found in the produce section, “where real dressing should be.” Wongdoody’s approach highlights the additives and preservatives found in most brands in a way that makes them truly unappealing. It also turns Litehouse being found in the produce section into a selling point, while also letting consumers who might otherwise overlook it know where they can find a bottle. We wonder if the caricature of preservative-laden dressings might go a little too far, however, as viewers might be so disgusted as to tune it out.

60, 30 and 15-second versions of the spot will air online and on broadcast. The campaign, which also includes radio, digital, social media, out-of-home and in-store, as well as an integrated PR effort led by Crafted Communications, focuses on the markets of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Jacksonville, running until July 17. 

“This Litehouse campaign was the perfect opportunity to educate shoppers on an underserved food segment, and show the differences between shelf-stable dressings in the middle of the store and Litehouse’s fresh, quality offerings in the produce section,” said Tracy Wong, chairman and co-founder of Wongdoody. “I think consumers are going to really identify with Litehouse’s mission to provide first-class products.”

Credits:
AGENCY: WONGDOODY
Chairman, ECD: Tracy Wong
CD: Mark “Monkey” Watson
ACD, Copywriter: Jennie Moore
Senior Copywriter: Tim Koehler
Art Director: Patrick Moore
Designer: Candice Nagel
Group Account Director: Megan Meagher
Account Director: Kristie Christensen
Management Supervisor: Katie Brotherton
Senior Account Manager: Scott “Scooter” Churchill
Director of Strategy: Jason Gingold
Market Strategy: Kari Connor
Associate Strategy Director: Lori Hicks
Supervisor, Connection Planning: Audrey Steinberger
Senior Director of Integrated Production: Stacy McCann
Executive Producer: Steph Huske
Interactive Producer: Laura Haithcock
Print Producer: Mich Congdon
Director, Studio: Kenta Hadley
Senior Studio Artist: Scott Engelhardt
Studio Artist: Katie Grantier
Senior Retouch Artist: Charlie Rakatansky
Post Producer: Sabrina Luciani
Editor: Hasalyn Modine
Sr. Motion Graphics Designer: Matt Glenovich
Motion Graphics Designer: Jacob Mrozek

CLIENT: Litehouse
VP, Marketing and Communications: Maria Emmer-Aanes

PRODUCTION PARTNERS
Radical Media LLC
Director: Rosey
Executive Producer: Jim Bouvet
President: Frank Scherma
Head of Production: Cathy Dunn
Producer: Diane Castrup
Production Supervisor: Joan Duff

Clatter & Din
Audio Engineers: Eric Johnson, Sam Gray
Executive Producer: Rachel Komenski

Lightpress
Colorist: Jeff Tillotson
Systems Specialist: Shane Dillon
Producer: Amanda Kay Helmick

Composer
Dan Koch, Milk & Honey Music

Talent
Dad: Rob Ullett
Mom: Nicole Ghastin
Daughtter: Veronica Mason
Son: Taylor Gregory
Voiceover: Eleanor Katz

Let’s agree on one quick thing: the phrase “Netflix and chill” needs to be killed deader than Drake GIFs and emoji keyboards. Please alert your clients ASAP.

Now that we’ve established that undeniable fact, here’s the first ad in a new campaign for ESPN by the New York offices of 72andSunny.

The debut spot “Queue” serves to establish a basic fact: unlike whatever streaming service/DVR thing you’re into at the moment, sports are broadcast live as they are happening. They can’t really be paused … and in fact, they are one of the very few remaining reasons why anyone should subscribe to cable aside from 24/7 “news” channels like CNN, hahaha.*

That was a pretty good spin, no? The real-life cutaway and the Steve Kerr throw were a nice touches.

The release promises more spots and creative elements in this vein “pointing out that other fan behaviors such as responding to daily birthday reminders or frequent sharing of food photos via social media can happen anytime” and that real-time sports is a totally different thing.

Let’s address the underlying problem here: Netflix’s much-vaunted algorithm isn’t really very helpful at all. In the case of this blogger, at least, it is far more often a source of frustration than a way to uncover “aha! I really need to watch this right now!” moments.

Note to Netflix: STOP telling us to that we will enjoy Archer and Family Guy, goddammit! Does your algorithm not sense how much we hate the world’s number one shameless hack Seth MacFarlane??

*Also, the ads. Everyone loves to watch ads that they can’t skip. It’s, like, the basis of an entire industry’s business model.

Goodby, Silverstein & Partners launched a rebranding effort for StubHub which marks the brand’s first global marketing campaign centered around a 60-second broadcast spot called “Your Ticket Out.” The new work follows March’s news that GS&P would replace the company’s former AOR Duncan/Channon after a review.

The ad shows the anticipation and excitement in the moments before the start of a series of events, including a ballet, a baseball game, a concert and a boxing match. This is contrasted with a man microwaving a slice of pizza (which is sad; he’d be better off eating the slice cold), with the transition coming from the sounding of the bell in the boxing ring and the timer counting down on the microwave.

StubHub, the ad concludes, is “Your ticket out.”

The anthem spots seeks to motivate viewers to spend more time at events, while showcasing the wide variety of such events available at StubHub. It’s a relatable scenario too: who can’t identify with the guy preparing to spend a low key night at home rather than going out?

“The guy in the spot is a guy like any of us,” StubHub CMO Jennifer Betka told Adweek. “It’s talking about the human truth about the effort it takes to get out. It’s about prodding people to say, ‘Why not go out tonight?’”

In addition to the broadcast spot, the rebranding effort also includes a new logo, complete with a broader color palate.

“The wider color palate represents events from an Adele concert to a boxing match, to make sure we’re connecting with audiences across genres,” explained Betka. “It takes us out of the transactional space and builds on the fact that what we bring is more than a ticket. We bring opportunities of a lifetime.”

CREDITS

Client: StubHub
Agency: Goodby Silverstein & Partners
Title of Creative Work: Your Ticket Out

Client
President: Scott Cutler
CMO: Jennifer Betka-Wakeford
Director of Global Brand Studio: Connie Chen
Brand Manager: Devon Nicholson
Senior Integration Marketing Associate: Isabel Sosa
Creative Co-Chairman: Rich Silverstein
Creative Director: Danny Gonzalez
Creative Director: David Suarez
Copywriter: Simon Bruyn
Art Director: Andrew Livingston
Copywriter: Alex Flint
Art Director: Nick Spahr
Copywriter: Steve Nass
Art Director: Nomi Malik

Production
Director of Production: Tod Puckett
Senior Broadcast Producer: Leila Gage

Agency
Music Supervisor: Todd Porter Sr.
Art and Print Producer: Bethanne English

Design
Design Director: Chris Peel
Designer: Kelly Malka

Account Services
Managing Partner: Derek Robson
Worldwide Group Director: John Coyne
Account Director: Melissa Buck
Account Manager: Rosie Breen
Assistant Account Manager: Matt Korman

Brand and Communication Strategy
Director of Communication Strategy: Christine Chen
Director of Communications: Meredith Vellines
Deputy Director of Brand Strategy: James Thorpe
Brand Strategist: Kirstie Maryott
Business Affairs Director of Business Affairs: Judy Ybarra
Business Affairs Manager: Heidi Killeen

Production Companies
Production Company: Reset Content
Director: Martin Werner
Director Of Photography: Rodrigo Prieto
Managing Director: Dave Morrison
Executive Producer: Jeff McDougall and Jen Beitler
Head of Production: Amanda Clune
Line Producer: Timory King

Editorial: WORK
Editor: Rich Orrick
Assistant Editor: Keith Hamm
Executive Producer: Marlo Baird
Producer: Jamie Lynn Perritt
Color: SHED LA
Colorist: Yvan Lucas
Executive Producer: Patrick Ready
Senior Executive Producer: Sue Troyan
Producer: Antonio Hardy
Associate Producer: Karina Slater
Senior Flame Artist: Bill Higgins
3D Lead: Ed Boldero
VFX Supervisor: Matthew Longwell
3D artists: Chris Goodrich, Ziye Liu, Katie Yoon, Mark Wesler, Hassan Taimur Matte
Painter: Gillian George
2D artists: Timothy Crabtree, Steve Gibbons,Kelsey Napier, Ben Smith, Yukiko Ishiwata

Music/ Sound Design/ Mix: Barking Owl
Creative Director/Partner: Kelly Bayett
Producer: Ashley Benton
Sound Designer: Michael Anastasi
Mixer: Morgan Johnson
End Tag Graphics: We Are Royale
Executive Producer: Chris Volckmann
Creative Director: Brien Holman
Animator: Mike Humphrey

CP+B launched a new spot for Infiniti, positioning the luxury car brand as the option for the young and empowered, as opposed to the old and traditional.

In the spot, a young man sits down for a difficult talk with his (presumably staunchly Republican) father, in his stuffy sitting room. The father, we learn from a series of family photos, is a lifelong BMW driver. His son has apparently just bought an Infiniti and dad is not pleased. BMW is never mentioned by name, but glimpsed in the photos and alluded to when the father says “This isn’t how we raised you” in response to his son’s “I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but it just feels right.” Yikes, things are really heating up in Westchester County…

That the son’s choice of luxury car brand is such a dramatic problem for the two is more than a bit over-the-top (you’d think he just told his dad he quit law school to pursue his dreams of becoming a house DJ or something). But the message is a clear one: Infiniti is not your father’s brand.  So while us peasants may scoff at the idea of the young man’s purchase driving a wedge between him and his father, those actually in the market for the vehicle will get the message, even if the presentation here is a tad overblown. The spot ends somewhat abruptly, which makes us wonder if CP+B has a follow-up in the works, continuing the story with the son somehow making his father see things his way.

Credits:
Client: Infiniti Motor Company Ltd.
Campaign Title: Power of Infiniti
Agency: CP+B
VP/Chief Creative Officer: Ralph Watson
VP/Executive Creative Director: Michael Raso
Creative Director/Art Director: Dave Steinke
Associate Creative Director/Copywriter: Brett Dixon
Art Director: AnneMarie Longtine
Copywriter: Sarah Turner
VP/Associate Director of Content Production: Sloan Schroeder
Integrated Producer: Autumn Hines
Director of Product Strategy: John Frazier
Product Specialist: John Heathfield
Sr. Business Affairs Manager: Lisa Gillies
VP/Group Strategy Director: Jennifer Hruska
Sr. Strategist: Sarah Garman
Strategist: Bethany Lechner
VP/Group Account Director: Kate Frazier
Account Director: Ted Morse
Account Supervisor: Shawn Casey
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Craig Gillespie
DP: Masanobu Takanayagi
President: David Zander
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Producer: Mark Hall
Editorial: NO6
Editor: Chan Hatcher
Assistant Editor: Randy Baublis
Offline Producer: Amanda Ornelas
VFX/Graphics/Finishing Method
VFX Supervisor: Wensen Ho
Executive Producer: Robert Owens
Producer: Paula S. Jimenez
Color: C03
Sr. Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Rhubie Jovanov: Executive Producer
Sound/Design Mix: Lime Studios, Santa Monica
Sound Engineer: Mark Meyuhas
Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
Music: JSM
Executive Producer/Composer: Joel Simon
Composer: Nathan Kil
Infiniti
Director of Marketing Communications & Media: Allyson Witherspoon
Senior Manager Brand Strategy & Marketing Communications: Kathy Roznowski

Today in Regrettably Awkward Timing, JWT Worldwide has released the results of its “Female Tribes” insight study to correspond with a two-minute manifesto film celebrating the accomplishments and aspirations of women in various industries worldwide…as well as a website further documenting the effort.

The study, and film, argues: “It’s time to change the conversation, recognizing the value of female capital and understanding that defining women according to their responsibilities is limiting.” That conclusion stems from its recent Women Index study, which found that “58% of women say that role models in TV or film have inspired them to either be more assertive or more ambitious,” and the project aims to facilitate positive portrayals of women.

You’ve probably seen the video as it went live in February, but here it is again.

Elle UK had a sort of down-to-earth explanation of the project as a replacement for #SquadGoals:

As part of the Female Tribes campaign, JWT launched an ongoing global study spanning nine countries, including the UK, the US, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and China. The agency spoke to 4,300 women between the ages of 18-70 and formed a Women’s Index Study (WIS).

Some of the most interesting findings from the WIS were:

– 76% said it had never been a better time to be a woman

– 74% said their work was linked to their sense of self

– 86% said that femininity was a strength and not a weakness

‘Some key findings from the study were that age is not a predictor of life stage,’ explains Rachel Pashley, Group Planning Head of JWT. ‘Women are not just consumers, but wealth creators in their own right and the status of motherhood does not define a woman. These findings mean we need to rethink male and female values in a business setting.’

Also:

“As part of the WIS, the agency also created a set of 20 female tribes – not to be thought of as another set of stereotypical boxes to neatly fit women into, but rather trends of female progress – from teen activists and cultural icons to super athletes.”

So this was an in-depth project, but of course it’s not ALL about doing good. JWT stands to benefit from becoming, in its own words, “the agency with the most insight, knowledge and research about the largest consumer category in the world: women.”

In New York, meanwhile, the shop and its parent company WPP continue to defend former CEO Gustavo Martinez in a discrimination lawsuit filed by global chief communications officer Erin Johnson. We might remind readers that the recently released video of him making a rape joke at a meeting in Miami documents only one of the many incidents mentioned in her suit.

Should the agency’s own defense of this guy’s no longer alleged (in at least one case) behavior change the way we view its manifesto?